Videos Last Longer Than Memories

As life happens, memories are made. Some we forget, while others we remember forever. Unfortunately, our memories tend to fade with time. Fortunately, videos do not.

In the digital age we live in, precious moments can be captured in videos and preserved for practically as long as we can imagine. As technology improves, so will our options to make, watch and store videos so we can have them essentially forever.

Videos help us remember what we might have forgotten

Special moments and good times happen throughout most people’s lives, but our memories tend to fade and our brains even forget a lot throughout our lives. Fortunately, videos don’t fade or forget what they’ve recorded.

With videos, special moments and good times can be replayed so we can enjoy the feelings we felt during them over and over again. Conveniently, today’s digital cameras allow people to capture memories instantly. They can usually be shared right away, and mobile technology has made it to where videos can be watched just about anywhere at anytime.

Unlike motionless images, videos have the ability to thoroughly describe scenery, circumstances, sounds and actions with great detail. By combining sight, sound and motion, videos arouse emotions more completely so we can feel more and remember details we might have otherwise forgotten. Or, if videos we watch are about things that happened when we weren’t actually present to experience them live, they give us the closest description of what it might have been like to actually be there. Without a doubt, videos capture events more thoroughly than words or pictures ever could.

For example, when people go to concerts, pictures or words can’t even come close to describing the memories of what they heard and watched. In those circumstances, video recordings are much more suitable for describing or reliving those memories.

Definitely, the best way to enjoy feelings of nostalgia when watching and reliving special memories is by keeping them in videos.

Why memories fade over time

As we age, it becomes increasingly difficult to recall names, dates, or even where we put stuff sometimes. Basically, what happens is our recollective powers dull simply because we’re getting older and our brains, like our bodies, are no longer in tip-top shape.

But what is it that actually causes memory and other cognitive abilities to go soft as we age?

Research has shown that bundles of axons (tubular projections sent out by neurons to signal other nerve cells) deteriorate over time. These conduits, collectively referred to as white matter, help connect different regions of our brains to allow for proper information processing. However, researchers have found that these white matter pathways erode as we age, impairing communication between different brain areas. Ultimately, the white matter naturally degrades as we age causing communication to be disrupted between brain regions.

Technology will ensure videos survive the test of time

As long as there is software available to deliver a video and support its format, it will last. However, since technology continues to advance, it is always wise to convert videos to the newest software every few years.

Fortunately, changing the format of a video is easy with the right software. There are plenty of free apps that can do this, and some are easier to use than others.

To keep things simple, most software allows users to choose their device, such as an iPhone, rather than asking them to pick the correct settings. However, the MP4 format is currently the best choice for practically all modern devices because iPhones, Android phones, TVs and most computers will play MP4s. As well, for people who already have video editing software, it should be able to import video in a variety of formats and export to MP4.

While it has been said that the only things certain in life are death and taxes, I believe it is safe to add improved technology to that list. Mankind has always found ways to make improvements, and I’m certain that will be the case with video technology as well. Videos are simply too useful, helpful and enjoyable for it not to happen.